News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no 254 on 6 May 2005
Top Story
Africa’s mobile operators – are they the new incumbents?
Mobile operators have been the making of Africa in terms of delivering widely available voice services. They have shaken up the sleepy fixed line incumbents, rapidly outstripping their user base. Indeed in some countries they will come close to covering the majority of the population within the next two years. They have been the continent’s success story, pouring money into setting up coverage and reaching out to new users with pre-pay cards. They have bought much-needed business expertise and created new employment with very few failures over ten years. And they are arguably one of the few dynamic parts of…
Telecoms
Mozambique: Red Tape to Register Sim Cards
All mobile phone owners in Mozambique (and there are more than six million of them) are expected to fill out registration forms by 15 November, under a government decree passed…
Telecoms
YET ANOTHER STUDY SAYS TELKOM FEES HOLD BACK SOUTH AFRICAN GROWTH
Fresh research into the cost of telecommunications services has confirmed that Telkom's fees are far above international norms and are depressing SA's economic growth. Telkom's fees are up to 400%…
Telecoms
GATEWAY COMMUNICATIONS SIGNS INTERCONNECT AGREEMENT WITH GLOBACOM
As a result of significant growth in subscriber demand in Nigeria, Globacom the second national operator (SNO) and licensed GSM carrier in Nigeria, has confirmed that it has selected Gateway…
Telecoms
UTE BID FOR LIBERIA'S LTC WILL FAIL, ACCORDING TO DAILY OBSERVER REPORT
A Daily Observer investigation reveals that the Universal Telephone Exchange President's proposal to revamp the Liberian Telecommunications Corporation was allegedly filled with plagiarized materials from another bidder's proposal. World Bank…
Telecoms
ECONET ACQUIRES BASE STATION SITES FOR ROLL-OUT IN KENYA
Econet Wireless Kenya (EWK) has acquired 100 sites for its base stations, the Executive Director of Econet Wireless International, Mr Zachary Wazara, has said. He said a large fraction of…
Telecoms
Telecoms News - In Brief
- South Africa’s three GSM operators – Cell C, MTN and Vodacom – have agreed to clamp down on mobile phone theft by signing an agreement that will see the…
Telecoms
TELECOM RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE
- Gamtel has recently launched a new prepaid card dubbed "Carte Suma Yai" at a ceremony held at its at Gamtel House in Banjul. The card, which comprises D25, D50…
Internet
GHANA TELECOM PUTS INTERNET GHANA UNDER LEGAL HEAVY MANNERS
It's not often you find yourself in the middle of a very public row between an incumbent telco and an ISP, writes Russell Southwood. On 7 April, I chaired a…
Internet
BOTSWANA TO DEVELOP CYBER LAW
The Director of Information Technology (IT) has described the move by Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries to harmonise Internet laws as an indirect call for Botswana to develop its…
Internet
ACCESSKENYA OFFERS BROADBAND MAX AT SAME PRICE AS 64K LEASED LINE
AccessKenya has launched Broadband Max to give clients a faster service for the same price as a dial up subscription. Whereas a client previously had to buy a leased line…
Internet
Internet News - In Brief
- Internet service providers have made a final plea for wholesale price controls to be slapped on Telkom's bandwidth so rival companies can offer internet access at more competitive fees.…
Computing
JOHANNESBURG STOCK EXCHANGE IN R190M IT SYSTEM UPGRADE
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) has embarked on a R190 million programme to modernise its IT systems. The project, codenamed Project Orion, is managed by IT consulting firm Accenture. Industry…
Computing
GHANAIAN UNIVERSITY GETS 40,000-DOLLAR ICT LABORATORY
Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) Rev. Professor Emmanuel Adow Obeng has inaugurated a USD40,000 ICT laboratory for the Centre for Continuing Education of UCC. The laboratory,…
Computing
NAMITECH FIRST TO TAKE EMV TECHNOLOGY INTO AFRICA
NamITech (Pty) Limited, a member of the listed Altech group, has secured a contract for the supply of EMV (Europay, MasterCard and VISA) compliant bank cards into the Republic of…
Computing
Computer News - In Brief
- IBM SA has launched SA's second Linux Competency Centre at the University of Cape Town (UCT). The centres, launched in partnership with Novell, Obsidian and SAP, provide open source…
digtool
NIGERIAN ENGINEER INVENTS MULTILINGUAL COMPUTER KEYBOARD
A Nigerian Mechanical Engineer based in the United States of America, Mr. Olukayode Oluwole, has invented a multi-lingual computer keyboard, capable of typing "diacritical marks and characters" of over 400…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
UAE'S ETISALAT BUYS 50% OF W AFRICA'S ATLANTIQUE TELECOM
The UAE's Emirates Telecommunications Corp. (ETISALAT.AD) Wednesday said it has bought a 50% stake in West African cellphone operator Atlantique Telecom. The deal also gives the state-owned telecom operator a…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
MTN WAGES LEGAL BATTLE TO OVERTURN CELTEL SALE
Cellular operator MTN has shown its hand in a multibillion-dollar bidding war for pan-African cellular company Celtel, claiming its $2,67bn offer was unfairly trumped by a Kuwaiti rival. MTN yesterday…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
UGANDAN GOVT TO SELL 49% OF UTL SHARES
The Government has invited consultants in investment banking to evaluate the value of its 49% shares in uganda telecom (utl) ahead of listing the firm on the Uganda Securities Exchange…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
On The Money - In Brief
- Mauritius Telecom is to sell one per cent of its shares to its employees. This represents 1.9 million shares that will be sold at R16 each. - Zimbabwe's Econet…
Digital Content
'SMS PAYMENT SERVICES NOT JUST AVAILABLE FROM BANKS'
In South Africa SMS-based payment systems are also now available for use by customers of retailers, property management companies, direct marketers and other suppliers of goods and services. Cobus Potgieter,…
Digital Content
Web And Mobile Data News - In Brief
- An Internet-based land and property information site launched in November 2004 to assist the Nigerian public access genuine ownership claims on land and properties, has received over 120,000 hits…
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PEOPLE
BALANCING ACT INTERVIEW - FRANCIS NDOROMA, MD, TELECOM NAMIBIA Balancing Act’s News Update speaks to Telecom Namibia’s Managing Director Frans Ndoroma about privatisation, a Next Generation Network and its membership…
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EVENTS
WEST AFRICA 2005 EU/ACP Investment- and Partner Promotion Meeting for the Development of the ICT Sector in West Africa Hotel Méridien Président, Dakar, Senegal 24 - 26 May, 2005 [Note: The dates have…
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JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES
WEB DESIGNER/TRAINER Digital Partners Nigeria and Systemax Information Technologies wants to contract a suitably qualified and experienced web designer/trainer for a period. Requirements - Have knowledge and skills of HTML,…
